1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of sight barriers, and more particularly to a novel temporary sight shield that may be readily deployed from a stowed position into an operative position at the scene of a traffic accident in order to provide a temporary shield separating oncoming traffic from the accident scene so as to obscure or block the vision of the oncoming traffic from the traffic accident.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, freeway accidents in densely populated areas oftentimes caused traffic jams, partly as a result of curious drivers slowing down to see what event has caused the accident. Problems and difficulties have been encountered due to the slowdown of traffic which further induces traffic delays that greatly restrict current freeway systems' ability to handle higher traffic volume. From an environmental perspective, such slowdown of traffic may induce millions of tons of pollutants into the atmosphere by nonproductive idling vehicles encountering the traffic jams. Further, lost man hours on the road are nonproductive as well.
Additional problems encountered with traffic jams and slowdowns reside in causing secondary accidents which may occur as the result of distracted drivers and emergency personnel at the scene are sometimes injured due to such distraction.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a sight shield or screen which will separate oncoming motorists' vision from a recently occurring accident so that the motorist will be motivated to maintain speed and to leave the accident site as rapidly as possible. Such a screen or shield is of a temporary nature and must be readily available for deployment at the accident site for temporarily obscuring oncoming motorists' view. When the accident drama is over, the shield must be returned to condition for repeated use at other locations and times.